With the No. 27 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr.
Cenac — who won’t turn 20 years old until February 1 — spent just one year in college. In his lone season with the Cougars, he appeared in 37 games, starting 36 and playing 24.8 minutes per contest. He averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks while shooting 48.5% from the floor and 33.3% from deep on 2.4 3-point attempts per contest.
Kelvin Sampson — Houston’s notoriously hard-nosed head coach — had this to say about Cenac back in January:
“I love that kid. He never has a bad day. And I have worn him out. He’s never ever not looked me in the eye. He’s never ever complained. Wherever he’s playing in the NBA down the road, that team is going to be lucky.”
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson on true freshman Chris Cenac Jr: “I love that kid. He never has a bad day. And I have worn him out. He’s never ever not looked me in the eye.. He’s never ever complained..Wherever he’s playing in the NBA down the road, that team is going to be lucky.” pic.twitter.com/2Q7ysgMEGT
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) January 14, 2026
The 19-year-old will join a center room that currently consists of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Amari Williams.
At the combine, Cenac measured in at 6-foot-10.25 without shoes and 239.6 lbs. He has a wingspan of 7-foot-5.
A string of my personal favorite draft prospects were selected right before the Celtics were up at No. 27.
The Atlanta Hawks picked Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23. The New York Knicks took Sergio De Larrea at No. 25. And then, the San Antonio Spurs traded up to snag Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26 — the pick before Boston.
San Antonio had already taken Jayden Quaintaince at pick No. 20 earlier in the first round. Reed was the second big they took (even though they already have Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet).
But among those whom I believed would be available at No. 27, Cenac was floating between second and third. Ejiofor was at the top of my wish list, and De Larrea and Cenac were right behind him.
© Evert Nelson/The Cap
Chris Cenac
Cenac is a bet on potential. A bet on the raw talent that saw Cenac ranked sixth in SportsCenter’s Next 100 rankings coming out of high school.
As far as NBA-ready skills go, Cenac’s
